Linear optical disk changer with side switching capabilities

ABSTRACT

An optical disk changer that is capable of automatically playing both sides of a dual-sided optical disk. By coordinated rotation and delivery of disks taken from a linear disk storage bin, both sides of a dual-sided optical disk can be automatically accessed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/199,768,entitled “LINEAR OPTICAL DISK CHANGER WITH SIDE SWITCHING CAPABILITIES”and filed 25 Nov. 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,587,405, issued 1 Jul. 2003.In addition, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/200,320, entitled“OPTICAL DISK CHANGER WITH SIDE SWITCHING CAPABILITIES,” filed, 25 Nov.1998 and issued 5 Aug. 2003 as U.S. Pat. No. 6,603,715, contains relatedsubject matter.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention is directed toward an apparatus and method forautomatically accessing both sides of an optical disk retrieved from alinear stack of optical disks.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Data of various types is recorded on and accessed from optical disks.Common optical disks include compact disks (CDs), CD-ROMs, digitalversatile disks (DVDs), digital video disks (also abbreviated DVDs), orother similar disks. Some optical disks, such as DVDs, may be eithersingle-sided or dual-sided. With conventional optical disk changers, adual-sided optical disk must be manually “flipped” between sides inorder to read data from both sides of the disk.

Three general types of optical disk changers capable of storing andreading multiple disks are known. In the first type, a number of disksare positioned coplanar to one another and radially about a centerrotation point on a carrousel. To read any one disk, the carrousel isrotated until the desired disk is positioned adjacent to the diskreader. To read another disk, the present disk is disengaged from thereader and the carrousel is rotated to position another disk adjacent tothe disk reader. However, such optical disk changers read only one sideof a disk. Thus, operator intervention is required to flip the disk toallow the disk reader to read the opposite side of the disk.

The second type of multiple disk changer stores optical disks radiallyabout a center rotation point on a carrousel, but with the rotationalaxis of each optical disk perpendicular to the axis of rotation of thecarrousel. The resulting geometry of the plurality of stored disks is atoroid or “donut” shape. A disk from the carrousel is read by ejectingthe disk from the carrousel into a disk reader.

The third type of multiple disk changer stores optical disks in a stackwith the center of each disk coaxial with the centers of the otherdisks. A disk to be read is rotated or translated out from the stack andengaged by a disk reader. Just as with the first type of multiple diskchanger, the changer can read only one side of a disk unless the disk ismanually flipped by a user. Examples of this third type of multiple diskchanger are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,807,208, 5,099,465,5,153,862, 5,561,657, 5,682,364, and 5,692,878. However, these changersare only capable of reading one side of the optical disk unless the usermanually flips the disk.

Therefore, although the prior art is capable of storing a large numberof optical disks, the prior art does not provide an apparatus or methodfor reading both sides of a optical disk without manual operatorintervention. Consequently, there is a need for an apparatus and methodfor automatically reading both sides of an optical disk by effectivelyflipping a dual-sided disk.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the invention is an optical disk changer for reading afirst and a second side of an optical disk. The disk changer includes: abase; a disk bin coupled to said base for holding the optical disk; atransfer mechanism slidably and rotatably coupled to said base forloading a disk from said disk bin and positioning the disk to be read;and an optical disk reader attached to said base for loading a disk fromsaid transfer mechanism and reading the disk.

Another embodiment of the invention is an optical disk changer forreading a first and a second side of an optical disk comprising: a base;a disk bin coupled to said base for holding the optical disk; and anoptical disk reader slidably and rotatably coupled to said base forloading a disk from said disk bin, reading the disk, and returning thedisk to said disk bin.

Yet another embodiment of the invention is an optical disk changer forreading a first and a second side of an optical disk comprising: a base;a disk bin coupled to said base for holding the optical disk; a transfermechanism slidably and rotatably coupled to said base for loading a diskfrom said disk bin and positioning the disk to be read; and an opticaldisk reader slidably coupled to said base for loading a disk from saidtransfer mechanism and reading the disk.

Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading datafrom an optical disk comprising: holding the optical disk in a bin;delivering the optical disk from the bin to a transfer mechanism bytranslating the optical disk in a first direction; delivering theoptical disk from the transfer mechanism to an optical disk reader bytranslating the optical disk in a first direction; reading data from afirst side of the optical disk; delivering the optical disk to thetransfer mechanism by translating the optical disk in a seconddirection; rotating the transfer mechanism about a vertical axis;loading the optical disk from the transfer mechanism to the optical diskreader by translating the optical disk in the first direction; andreading data from a second side of the optical disk.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method of translating anoptical disk having a first side and a second side comprising: holdingthe optical disk in a disk bin; if data from a first side of the opticaldisk is to be read, then translating the optical disk to a firstlocation in a first direction; and if data from a second side of theoptical disk is to be read, then translating the optical disk to asecond location in the first direction, rotating the optical disk, andtranslating the optical disk to the first location in the firstdirection.

Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading datafrom an optical disk comprising: holding the optical disk in a disk bin;if data from a first side of the optical disk is to be read, deliveringthe optical disk through a first side of an optical disk reader, andreading the data; and if data from a second side of the optical disk isto be read, rotating the optical disk reader, delivering the opticaldisk through a second side of the optical disk reader, and reading thedata.

Another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading data from anoptical disk comprising: holding the optical disk in a bin; deliveringthe optical disk from the bin to a transfer mechanism by translating theoptical disk in a first direction; delivering the optical disk from thetransfer mechanism to an optical disk reader by translating the opticaldisk in a third direction substantially perpendicular to the firstdirection; reading data from a first side of the optical disk;delivering the optical disk to the transfer mechanism by translating theoptical disk in a second direction substantially parallel with the firstdirection; rotating the transfer mechanism about a vertical axis;loading the optical disk from the transfer mechanism to the optical diskreader by translating the optical disk in the third direction; andreading data from a second side of the optical disk.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of an optical disk changer with atransfer mechanism slidably and rotatably coupled to a base and diskreader attached to the base.

FIG. 2 is a top isometric view of an optical disk changer with anoptical disk reader slidably and rotatably coupled to a base.

FIG. 3 is a top isometric view of an optical disk changer with atransfer mechanism slidably and rotatably coupled to a base and anoptical disk reader slidably coupled to a base.

FIG. 4 is a top isometric view of an optical disk changer with atransfer mechanism slidably and rotatably coupled to a base and anoptical disk reader attached to the base so that the direction ofloading into the reader is perpendicular to the sliding of the transfermechanism.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of reading data from anoptical disk associated with a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of reading data from anoptical disk associated with a first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of translating an opticaldisk associated with a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of reading data from anoptical disk associated with a second embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of reading data from anoptical disk associated with a third embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of translating an opticaldisk associated with a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of reading data from anoptical disk associated with a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of reading data from anoptical disk associated with a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are directed toward an optical diskchanger that is capable of automatically playing both sides of adual-sided optical disk. The optical disk played may be a CD, CD-ROM,DVD, or any other such optical disk. In one embodiment of the invention,a sliding and rotating transfer mechanism positions either side of adual-sided disk to be read in a stationary optical disk reader that hasits axis of loading substantially perpendicular to the direction ofsliding of the transfer mechanism. Another embodiment of the inventionemploys a sliding and rotating optical disk reader to read both sides ofa disk. Still another embodiment of the invention provides for a readerthat slides as well as a transfer mechanism that both slides and rotatesto read both sides of a disk. In yet another embodiment of theinvention, a sliding and rotating transfer mechanism positions eitherside of a dual-sided disk to be read in a stationary optical disk readerthat has its axis of loading substantially parallel with to thedirection of sliding of the transfer mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIRST EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 shows an optical disk changer 101 for reading a first and asecond side of an optical disk 2. In an embodiment of the invention, thedisk may be a dual-sided DVD. In FIG. 1, the top and two sides of thedisk changer 101 have been removed for clarity. A base 3 supports a diskbin 4.

Disk Bin

As shown in FIG. 1, the disk bin 4 is coupled to the base 3. The diskbin 4 has slots for holding a plurality of optical disks. The disk bin 4is designed to hold the plurality of optical disks coaxially relative toone another. That is, as held, the centers of the disks are alignedsubstantially linearly. The walls of the slots should be of sufficientstiffness so that they properly support the optical disks. In someembodiments, walls of the slots are of constant thickness. In otherembodiments of the invention, the disk bin does not have slots. Instead,the disks are stacked against one another in a similar coaxial lineararrangement. In such an arrangement, end supports (not shown) arenecessary at both ends of the plurality of disks.

The disk bin 4 may also include locating surfaces along the bottom ofthe slots (not shown). These locating surfaces properly position anoptical disk that is received by a user or a disk reader. In addition,the locating surfaces keep an optical disk that is being held in a diskbin 4 from prematurely exiting the disk bin 4. Further, these locatingsurfaces provide a precise position for an optical disk that is to bedelivered to a disk reader. Locating surfaces are known in the art.

The disk bin 4 may be constructed from a variety of materials. However,it may be optimal to mold the disk bin 4 from plastic.

Transfer Mechanism

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a transfer mechanism 105 thatis coupled to rails 106 of the base 3 is able to slide back and forth onthe rails 106. Additionally, at least a portion of the transfermechanism 105 (e.g., a disk turner) is able to rotate about a verticalaxis relative to the base 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the transfer mechanism 105 includes afirst loading mechanism 107 that is located on a first side of thetransfer mechanism 105. The first loading mechanism 107 may be formed bytwo substantially parallel cylinders that cooperatively rotate to movethe optical disk. The transfer mechanism 105 also contains a secondloading mechanism 108 on a second side of the transfer mechanism 105.The second loading mechanism 108 may also be formed by two substantiallyparallel cylinders that cooperatively rotate to move the optical disk.Loading mechanisms of various configurations are well known in the artand other operable loading mechanisms are within the scope of the claimsof the present invention.

The transfer mechanism 105 may also include an ejector arm (not shown).The ejector arm can be used to push the optical disk 2 from the disk bin4 in a first direction to the transfer mechanism 105. Any ejectormechanism that loads the disk 2 from the carrousel 4 into the transfermechanism 105 with or without use of an ejector arm will suffice.Ejector arms for disk loading are well known in the art.

Optical Disk Readers

Referring again to FIG. 1, an optical disk reader 109 a is shown. Asshown in FIG. 1, the reader 109 a is attached to the base 3. In anembodiment of the invention, the reader 109 a may be located near thecenter of the disk bin 4 so that the average length of travel of thetransfer mechanism 105 is minimized. The optical disk changerillustrated shows two optical disk readers, 109 a and 109 b. Two or moreoptical disk readers are within the claims and allow increasedinformation access with a single disk changer. The operation of eitherdisk reader is substantially the same and therefore the descriptionbelow merely describes the operation of the optical disk reader 109 a.

The optical disk reader 109 a can load a disk from the transfermechanism 105, play the disk, and return the disk to the transfermechanism 105. The optical disk reader 109 a includes conventionalsensors and electronics for reading an optical disk. In addition, thereader 109 a includes a first loading mechanism 110 a that is located ona first side of the reader 109 a. The first loading mechanism 110 a maybe formed by two substantially parallel cylinders that cooperativelyrotate to move the optical disk. The optical disk reader 109 b also hasa first loading mechanism 110 b.

Method of Operating the First Embodiment of the Invention

One embodiment of the invention is a method of reading data from anoptical disk. This method, which is shown in FIG. 5, may be performed bythe disk changer 101 shown in FIG. 1. First, an optical disk that isbeing held in a disk bin is delivered from the disk bin into a transfermechanism by translating the disk in a first direction. The disk is thendelivered to an optical disk reader by first moving the entire transfermechanism laterally relative to the disk bin to align the disk with theoptical disk reader, and subsequently translating the disk in a firstdirection to the optical disk reader.

Next, data from a first side of the disk is read. After data from thefirst side of the disk is read or upon operator command, the disk isunloaded from the reader and delivered to the transfer mechanism bytranslating the disk in the second direction. In some embodiments, atleast a portion of the transfer mechanism is rotated one hundred eightydegrees about a vertical axis to flip the disk in preparation for asecond side of the disk to be read. Next, the disk is loaded from thetransfer mechanism to the optical disk reader by translating the opticaldisk in the first direction.

Then, data from the second side of the optical disk may be read. Afterdata from the second side of the disk is read or upon operator command,the disk is unloaded from the reader and delivered in the seconddirection to the transfer mechanism. From the transfer mechanism, thedisk may be returned to the disk bin.

Another Method of Operating the First Embodiment of the Invention

In another method of operating the first embodiment, a second opticaldisk reader is required. The method, which is illustrated in FIG. 6, maybe performed by the disk changer 101 shown in FIG. 1. The methodprovides for simultaneous or rapid sequential reading of multipleoptical disks. After the act of delivering the first optical disk fromthe transfer mechanism described in the embodiment above, a secondoptical disk is delivered from the bin to the transfer mechanism bytranslating the second optical disk in the first direction. The secondoptical disk may then be delivered from the transfer mechanism to asecond optical disk reader by translating the second optical disk in thefirst direction. Data from a first side of the second optical disk maythen be read.

It is evident from a description of this method that two or more diskscan be handled by the disk changer described to enable a large dataretrieval capacity from a single changer. With such a machine andmethod, the number of readers required per disk made accessible can bereduced.

Yet Another Method of Operating the First Embodiment of the Invention

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 7. This method maybe performed by the disk changer 101 shown in FIG. 1. In thisembodiment, an optical disk is held in a disk bin. If data from thefirst side of the optical disk is to be read, the optical disk istranslated in a first direction to a location within an optical diskreader where the disk can be read. In some embodiments, the disk isfirst translated to a transfer mechanism that may be moved laterally andthen to the location within the optical disk reader. After reading thedata on the first side of the disk, the disk may be returned to the diskbin.

On the other hand, if data from the second side of the optical disk isto be read, then the optical disk is translated in a first direction toa second location in the transfer mechanism and rotated by the transfermechanism. Subsequently, the optical disk is delivered to the diskreader by translating the optical disk to the optical disk reader in afirst direction. In some embodiments, the transfer mechanism also movesthe disk laterally by moving laterally relative to the disk bin. Afterreading the data on the second side of the disk, the disk may bedelivered back to the transfer mechanism and to the disk bin.

Description of the Second Embodiment

FIG. 2 shows an optical disk changer 201 for reading a first and asecond side of an optical disk 2. In an embodiment of the invention, thedisk may be a dual-sided DVD. In FIG. 2, the top and two sides of thedisk changer 201 have been removed for clarity. As in the firstembodiment, a base 3 supports a disk bin 4. The base and disk bin of thesecond embodiment are substantially identical to the base and disk bindescribed in the first embodiment.

Optical Disk Reader

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, an optical disk reader 205 thatis coupled to rails 206 of the base 3 is able to slide back and forth onthe rails 206. Additionally, at least a portion of the reader 205 isable to rotate about a vertical axis relative to the base 3.

The reader 205 includes conventional sensors, e.g. an optical sensor210, and electronics for reading an optical disk. In the embodimentshown in FIG. 2, the reader 205 includes a first loading mechanism 207that is located on a first side of the reader 205. The first loadingmechanism 207 may be formed by two substantially parallel cylinders thatcooperatively rotate to move the optical disk. The reader 205 alsocontains a second loading mechanism 208 on a second side of the reader205. The second loading mechanism 208 may also be formed by twosubstantially parallel cylinders that cooperatively rotate to move theoptical disk. Loading mechanisms of various configurations are wellknown in the art and other operable loading mechanisms are within thescope of the claims of the present invention.

The reader 205 may also include an ejector arm 212 (shown schematicallyin FIG. 2). The ejector arm 212 can be used to push the optical disk 2from the disk bin 4 in a first direction to the reader 205. Any ejectormechanism that loads the disk 2 from the carrousel 4 into the reader 205with or without the use of an ejector arm will suffice. Ejector arms fordisk loading are well known in the art.

Method of Operating the Second Embodiment of the Invention

Another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading data from anoptical disk. This method, which is shown in FIG. 8, may be performed bythe disk changer 201 shown in FIG. 2. If data from the first side of theoptical disk that is held in the disk bin is to be read, the opticaldisk is delivered to the optical reader. This delivery is made bydelivering the disk into the reader through a first side of the opticaldisk reader. At this point, the data from the first side of the disk maybe read. After reading, the disk may then be returned to the disk bin.

If data from a second side of the optical disk is to be read, the readeris rotated so that a second side of the reader is adjacent to the diskbin. The disk is then delivered through the second side of the diskreader. The reader has then accepted the disk in a position to read thesecond side of the disk. After reading the data on the second side ofthe disk, the disk may be delivered back to the disk bin.

Description of the Third Embodiment

FIG. 3 shows an optical disk changer 301 for reading a first and asecond side of an optical disk 2. In an embodiment of the invention, thedisk may be a dual-sided DVD. In FIG. 3, the top and two sides of thedisk changer 301 have been removed for clarity. As in the firstembodiment, a base 3 supports a disk bin 4. The base and disk bin of thethird embodiment are substantially identical to the base and disk bindescribed in the first embodiment.

Transfer Mechanism

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, a transfer mechanism 305 isrotatably coupled to a platform 11 that is coupled to rails 306 of thebase 3. The platform 11 is slidably coupled to the rails 306. Thetransfer mechanism is thus able to slide back and forth on the rails306. Additionally, at least a portion of the transfer mechanism 305 isable to rotate about a vertical axis relative to the base 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the transfer mechanism 305 includes afirst loading mechanism 307 that is located on a first side of thetransfer mechanism 305. The first loading mechanism 307 may be formed bytwo substantially parallel cylinders that cooperatively rotate to movethe optical disk. The transfer mechanism 305 also contains a secondloading mechanism 308 on a second side of the transfer mechanism 305.The second loading mechanism 308 may also be formed by two substantiallyparallel cylinders that cooperatively rotate to move the optical disk.Loading mechanisms of various configurations are well known in the artand other operable loading mechanisms are within the scope of the claimsof the present invention.

The transfer mechanism 305 may also include an ejector arm (not shown).The ejector arm can be used to push the optical disk 2 from the disk bin4 in a first direction to the transfer mechanism 305. Any ejectormechanism that loads the disk 2 from the carrousel 4 into the transfermechanism 305 with or without use of an ejector arm will suffice.Ejector arms for disk loading are well known in the art.

Optical Disk Reader

Referring again to FIG. 3, an optical disk reader 309 is shown. As shownin FIG. 3, the optical disk reader 309 is attached to the platform 11along with the transfer mechanism 305. The reader 309 is therefore ableto slide on the rails 306 relative to the base 3. The optical diskreader can load a disk from the transfer mechanism 305, play the disk,and return the disk to the transfer mechanism 305. The optical diskreader 309 includes conventional sensors and electronics for reading anoptical disk. In addition, the reader 309 includes a first loadingmechanism 310 that is located on a first side of the reader 309. Thefirst loading mechanism 310 may be formed by two substantially parallelcylinders that cooperatively rotate to move the optical disk.

Method of Operating the Third Embodiment of the Invention

Still another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading datafrom an optical disk. This method, which is shown in FIG. 9, may beperformed by the disk changer 301 shown in FIG. 3. If data from thefirst side of the optical disk is to be read, the disk is delivered fromthe disk bin into a transfer mechanism by translating the disk in afirst direction. The disk is then delivered to an optical disk reader bytranslating the disk in a first direction to the optical disk reader.

Next, data from a first side of the disk is read. After data from thefirst side of the disk is read or upon operator command, the disk isunloaded from the reader and delivered to the transfer mechanism bytranslating the disk in the second direction. In some embodiments, atleast a portion of the transfer mechanism is rotated one hundred eightydegrees about a vertical axis to flip the disk in preparation for asecond side of the disk to be read. The disk is then loaded from thetransfer mechanism to the optical disk reader by translating the opticaldisk in the first direction.

Data from the second side of the optical disk may then be read. Afterdata from the second side of the disk is read or upon operator command,the disk is unloaded from the reader and delivered in the seconddirection to the transfer mechanism. From the transfer mechanism, thedisk may be returned to the disk bin.

Another Method of Operating the Third Embodiment of the Invention

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 10. This method maybe performed by the disk changer 301 shown in FIG. 3. In thisembodiment, an optical disk is held in a disk bin. If data from thefirst side of the optical disk is to be read, the optical disk istranslated in a first direction to a location within an optical diskreader where the disk can be read. In one embodiment, the disk is firsttranslated to a transfer mechanism and then to the location within theoptical disk reader. After reading the data on the first side of thedisk, the disk may be returned to the disk bin.

On the other hand, if data from the second side of the optical disk isto be read, then the optical disk is translated in a first directionfrom the disk bin to a second location in the transfer mechanism androtated by the transfer mechanism. Subsequently, the optical disk isdelivered to the disk reader by translating the optical disk to thereader in a first direction. After reading the data on the second sideof the disk, the disk may be delivered back to the transfer mechanismand to the disk bin.

Description of the Fourth Embodiment

FIG. 4 shows an optical disk changer 401 for reading a first and asecond side of an optical disk 2. In an embodiment of the invention, thedisk may be a dual-sided DVD. In FIG. 4, the top and two sides of thedisk changer 401 have been removed for clarity. As in the firstembodiment, a base 3 supports a disk bin 4. The base and disk bin of thethird embodiment are substantially identical to the base and disk bindescribed in the first embodiment.

Transfer Mechanism

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, a transfer mechanism 405 thatis coupled to rails 406 of the base 3 is able to slide back and forth onthe rails 406. Additionally, at least a portion of the transfermechanism 405 is able to rotate about a vertical axis relative to thebase 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the transfer mechanism 405 issubstantially identical in structure with the transfer mechanism 105described above. The primary difference is that the transfer mechanism405 is used to load disks into optical disk readers 409 a and 409 b thatare substantially parallel with the sliding direction of the transfermechanism.

Optical Disk Readers

Referring still to FIG. 4, two optical disk readers 409 a and 409 b areshown. The function and structure of the optical disk readers 409 a and409 b is substantially identical to the function and structure of theoptical disk reader 109 a. The primary difference is that the directionof loading the optical disk reader 109 a is oriented perpendicular tothe sliding of the transfer mechanism 105, and the direction of loadingthe optical disk readers 409 a and 409 b is parallel with the sliding ofthe transfer mechanism 405.

Method of Operating the Fourth Embodiment of the Invention

Another embodiment of the invention is a method of reading data from anoptical disk. This method, which is shown in FIG. 11, may be performedby the disk changer 401 shown in FIG. 4. First, an optical disk that isbeing held in a disk bin is delivered from the disk bin into a transfermechanism by translating the disk in a first direction. The disk is thendelivered to an optical disk reader by first moving the entire transfermechanism laterally relative to the disk bin and rotating the transfermechanism about a vertical axis to align the disk with the optical diskreader. Subsequently the disk is translated in a third direction andinto the optical disk reader. The third direction is substantiallyperpendicular to the first direction.

Next, data from a first side of the disk is read. After data from thefirst side of the disk is read or upon operator command, the disk isunloaded from the reader and delivered to the transfer mechanism bytranslating the disk in a fourth direction substantially parallel withthe third direction. In some embodiments, at least a portion of thetransfer mechanism is rotated one hundred eighty degrees about avertical axis to flip the disk in preparation for a second side of thedisk to be read. In embodiments where a second side is to be read, thedisk is loaded from the transfer mechanism to the optical disk reader bytranslating the optical disk in the third direction.

Then, data from the second side of the optical disk may be read. Afterdata from the second side of the disk is read or upon operator command,the disk is unloaded from the reader and delivered in the fourthdirection to the transfer mechanism. From the transfer mechanism, thedisk may be returned to the disk bin.

Another Method of Operating the Fourth Embodiment of the Invention

In another method of operating the fourth embodiment, a second opticaldisk reader is required. The method, which is illustrated in FIG. 12,may be performed by the disk changer 401 shown in FIG. 4. The methodprovides for simultaneous or rapid sequential reading of multipleoptical disks. After the act of delivering the first optical disk fromthe transfer mechanism described in the embodiment immediately above, asecond optical disk is delivered from the bin to the transfer mechanismby translating the second optical disk in the first direction. Thesecond optical disk may then be delivered from the transfer mechanism toa second optical disk reader by translating the second optical disk inthe fourth direction. Data from a first side of the second optical diskmay then be read.

It is evident from a description of this method that two or more diskscan be handled by the disk changer described to enable a large dataretrieval capacity from a single changer. With such a machine andmethod, the number of readers required per disk made accessible can bereduced.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specificembodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes ofillustration, various modification may be made without deviating fromthe spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is notlimited except as by the claims.

Advantages of the Invention

An advantage of some embodiments of the present invention is that theyprovide for fully automatic reading of dual-sided optical disks. As anincreasing number of optical disks contain data on both sides of thedisk, the need for automatic reading of both sides of a disk will beaccentuated. For instance, a dual-sided DVD that is not automaticallychanged would require operator intervention at the end of the playing ofthe first side before the balance of the video could be viewed.

Another advantage of the invention is that with an identical storagevolume the invention enables access by any automated device to twice asmuch digital information. To be truly automated, an automated opticaldisk device must necessarily be able to access all of the data stored onthe disks within the automated system. With prior technology, dual-sideddisks could not be accessed without operator intervention. Thus, forautomatic operation, single-sided disks would be required. Therefore,with the present invention, half as much storage volume is required toeffectively operate an automated optical disk device.

1. An optical disk changer for reading a dual-sided optical disk,comprising: (a) a base; (b) a disk bin carried by the base and extendinglaterally in a first direction; (c) a transfer mechanism carried by thebase and having a first side and a second side, the transfer mechanismbeing slidable laterally with respect to the disk bin, and the transfermechanism being rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the firstdirection to selectively position the first side or the second side in aloading position proximate the disk bin; and (d) an optical disk readerslidably carried by the base, the optical disk reader being configuredto receive a disk from the transfer mechanism and to read the disk. 2.An optical disk changer for reading a dual-sided optical disk,comprising: (a) a base; (b) a disk bin carried by the base andconfigured to hold a plurality of dual-sided optical disks; (c) atransfer mechanism slidably and rotatably carried by the base, thetransfer mechanism being configured to load one of the disks from thedisk bin and position the disk in a transfer position; and (d) anoptical disk reader slidably carried by the base, the optical diskreader being configured to receive the disk from the transfer positionand read the disk.
 3. The optical disk changer of claim 2 wherein theoptical disk is a dual-sided DVD.
 4. The optical disk changer of claim 2wherein the disk bin holds a first disk and a second disk, a centerrotational axis of the first disk being substantially linearly coaxialwith a center rotational axis of the second disk.
 5. The optical diskchanger of claim 2 wherein the transfer mechanism includes a diskturner, a first loading mechanism on a first side of the disk turner,and a second loading mechanism on a second side of the disk turner. 6.The optical disk changer of claim 5 wherein the first loading mechanismincludes two substantially parallel cylinders that cooperatively rotateto move the optical disk into and out of the disk turner and the secondloading mechanism includes two substantially parallel cylinders thatcooperatively rotate to move the optical disk into and out of the diskturner.
 7. The optical disk changer of claim 2 wherein at least aportion of the transfer mechanism rotates about a vertical axis.
 8. Theoptical disk changer of claim 2 wherein the reader unit has a loadingmechanism on a first side of the reader unit.
 9. The optical diskchanger of claim 8 wherein the loading mechanism includes twosubstantially parallel cylinders that cooperatively rotate to move theoptical disk into the reader unit.
 10. The optical disk changer of claim2 further comprising an ejector arm configured to push the optical diskfrom the disk bin along a first direction.
 11. A method of reading datafrom an optical disk comprising: (a) holding the optical disk in a bin;(b) delivering the optical disk from the bin to a transfer mechanism bytranslating the optical disk in a first direction; (c) moving theoptical disk reader laterally relative to the disk bin and intoalignment with the optical disk prior to delivering the optical diskfrom the bin to the transfer mechanism; (d) delivering the optical diskfrom the transfer mechanism to an optical disk reader by translating theoptical disk farther in the first direction; (e) reading data from afirst side of the optical disk; (f) delivering the optical disk to thetransfer mechanism by translating the optical disk in a second directionthat is opposite the first direction; (g) rotating the transfermechanism about a vertical axis; (h) loading the optical disk from thetransfer mechanism to the optical disk reader by translating the opticaldisk in the first direction; and (i) reading data from a second side ofthe optical disk with the optical disk reader.
 12. The method of claim11 further comprising the acts of: (a) delivering a second optical diskfrom the bin to the transfer mechanism by translating the second opticaldisk in the first direction after the act of delivering the firstoptical disk from the transfer mechanism to the optical disk reader; (b)delivering the second optical disk from the transfer mechanism to asecond optical disk reader by translating the second optical disk in thefirst direction; and (c) reading data from a first side of the secondoptical disk with the second optical disk reader.
 13. A method oftranslating a dual-sided optical disk, comprising: (a) holding anoptical disk in a disk bin; (b) if data from a first side of the opticaldisk is to be read, then translating the optical disk in a firstdirection to a first location, wherein the first location is within anoptical disk reader, and wherein the method further comprises moving theoptical disk reader laterally relative to the disk bin and intoalignment with the optical disk in the disk bin prior to translating theoptical disk to the first location when data from the first side of theoptical disk is to be read; and (c) if data from a second side of theoptical disk is to be read, then translating the optical disk in thefirst direction to a transfer mechanism, rotating the optical disk, andtranslating the optical disk to the optical disk reader in the firstdirection.
 14. A method of translating a dual-sided optical disk,comprising: (a) holding an optical disk in a disk bin; (b) if data froma first side of the optical disk is to be read, then translating theoptical disk in a first direction to a first location, wherein the firstlocation is within an optical disk reader, and wherein the methodfurther comprises moving the optical disk reader laterally relative tothe disk bin and into alignment with the optical disk in the disk binprior to translating the optical disk to the first location when datafrom the first side of the optical disk is to be read; and (c) if datafrom a second side of the optical disk is to be read, then translatingthe optical disk in the first direction to a transfer mechanism,rotating the optical disk, and translating the optical disk to theoptical disk reader in the first direction, wherein the second locationis within a transfer mechanism, and wherein the method further comprisesmoving the transfer mechanism laterally relative to the disk bin andinto alignment with the optical disk in the disk bin prior totranslating the optical disk to the second location in the transfermechanism when data from the second side of the optical disk is to beread.